Direct address laser ablation

ABSTRACT

A system and method for selectively removing tire material from the bead portions of a cured tire to reduce one or more harmonics of at least one uniformity parameter are disclosed. According to aspects of the present disclosure, tire material is selectively removed using a plurality of direct address commands. The direct address commands specify ablation parameters for discrete ablation segments at specific angular locations around the bead of the tire. The direct address commands are generated by analyzing the desired ablation pattern for the bead of the tire. The ablation device can then be controlled to selectively remove tire material in discrete ablation segments at identified addresses pursuant to the direct address commands to achieve the desired ablation pattern on one or more tracks along the bead portion of the tire using a single pass of the ablation device.

PRIORITY CLAIM

The present application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.14/304,179, having a filing date of Jun. 13, 2014, which is a 371 ofInternational PCT/US2011/066699 filed on Dec. 22, 2011. Applicant claimspriority to and benefit of all such applications and incorporate allsuch applications herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present disclosure relates generally to systems and methods forimproving tire uniformity by selective removal of material along tirebead locations in a cured tire.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Tire non-uniformity relates to the symmetry (or lack of symmetry)relative to the tire's axis of rotation in certain quantifiablecharacteristics of a tire. Conventional tire building methodsunfortunately have many opportunities for producing non-uniformities intires. During rotation of the tires, non-uniformities present in thetire structure produce periodically-varying forces at the wheel axis.Tire non-uniformities are important when these force variations aretransmitted as noticeable vibrations to the vehicle and vehicleoccupants. These forces are transmitted through the suspension of thevehicle and may be felt in the seats and steering wheel of the vehicleor transmitted as noise in the passenger compartment. The amount ofvibration transmitted to the vehicle occupants has been categorized asthe “ride comfort” or “comfort” of the tires.

Tire uniformity characteristics, or attributes, are generallycategorized as dimensional or geometric variations (radial run out (RRO)and lateral run out (LRO)), mass variance, and rolling force variations(radial force variation, lateral force variation and tangential forcevariation, sometimes also called longitudinal or fore and aft forcevariation). Uniformity measurement machines often measure the above andother uniformity characteristics by measuring force at a number ofpoints around a tire as the tire is rotated about its axis.

Once tire uniformity characteristics are identified, correctionprocedures may be able to account for some of the uniformities byadjustments to the manufacturing process. Some of the uniformities maybe hard to correct during the manufacturing process and so additionalcorrection procedures are needed to correct remaining non-uniformitiesof cured tires. A number of different techniques may be available,including but not limited to the addition and/or removal of material toa cured tire and/or deformation of a cured tire.

One known technique for correcting tire non-uniformities is the use oflaser ablation along a bead portion of the tire. For instance, WO2011/002596, which is incorporated by reference herein for all purposes,discloses the use of laser ablation along various tracks on the beadportion of a tire, such as along the bead seat portion, the lower flangeportion, and the upper flange portion of the tire. In particular, anablation pattern for the tire beads is calculated to reduce themagnitude of one or more harmonics of at least one uniformity parameter.Material along the bead portion of the tire is then selectively removedusing the calculated laser ablation pattern.

Known ablation techniques typically use either a variable speed approachor a variable power approach to selectively remove material according tothe calculated ablation pattern. In a variable speed approach, theablation device is operated at a fixed power level while selectivelyrotating the tire with variable rotational speed to achieve the desiredablation pattern. In a variable power approach, the tire is rotated at afixed speed and the ablation device is powered at varied levels toaccomplish the desired ablation pattern. Combined variations of bothpower and speed can also be used.

These ablation techniques can typically only ablate a single track alongthe bead portion of the tire during a single pass of the ablationdevice. Multiple passes of the ablation device around the tire can berequired to ablate multiple tracks along, for instance, two or more ofthe bead seat portion, the lower flange portion, and the upper flangeportion, leading to increased processing time. Use of lower powerablation in variable power ablation processes can lead to even furtherincreased processing times to achieve a desired ablation pattern. It canalso be difficult to simultaneously implement multiple objectiveablation patterns, for instance to correct both radial force and lateralforce parameters, in a single pass of the ablation device using variablepower or variable speed ablation techniques.

Thus, a need exists for an ablation technique that reduces the timenecessary to achieve a desired ablation pattern in the bead portion of atire. A technique that can address multiple uniformity parameters andablate multiple tracks along the bead portion of a tire during a singlepass would be particularly useful. A technique that can allow theindependent ablation of both beads of the tire at the same time wouldalso be particularly useful.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Aspects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in thefollowing description, or may be obvious from the description, or may belearned through practice of the invention.

One exemplary aspect of the present disclosure is directed to a methodfor reducing one or more harmonics of at least one uniformity parameterin a cured tire. The method includes receiving an ablation pattern for abead of the tire. The ablation pattern defines a desired ablation depthrelative to an angular location around the bead and is calculated tocorrect for one or more harmonics of at least one uniformity parameterfor the tire. The method includes identifying a plurality of addressesfor the bead. Each address is associated with a specific angularlocation on the bead of the tire. The method includes analyzing theablation pattern to determine a plurality of direct address commands toachieve the ablation pattern. The plurality of direct address commandsspecify ablation parameters for discrete ablation segments at one ormore addresses along the bead of the tire. The plurality of discreteablation segments can have similar ablation sensitivity characteristics,such as similar ablation segment depths, such as an ablation segmentdepth associated with about full operating power of the ablation device.The method further includes controlling the ablation device toselectively remove tire material from the bead in discrete ablationsegments pursuant to the direct address commands to achieve the ablationpattern.

In a particular implementation, analyzing the ablation pattern todetermine a plurality of direct address commands can include assigning adiscrete ablation segment to an address based at least in part onablation sensitivity characteristics associated with the ablationsegment; and generating a direct address command for each discreteablation segment assigned to an address.

For instance, analyzing the ablation pattern to determine a plurality ofdirect address commands can include assigning one or more discreteablation segments to at least one of the plurality of addresses in afirst ablation segment layer based at least in part on an ablationsegment depth associated with the discrete ablation segments;subtracting the ablation segment depth of the discrete ablation segmentsin the first layer from the desired ablation depth at each address toachieve an adjusted ablation depth for each address; and assigningdiscrete ablation segments to at least one of the plurality of addressesin a second ablation segment layer based at least in part on theadjusted ablation depth.

The angular locations associated with the discrete ablation segments inthe first layer can be shifted relative to the angular locationsassociated with the discrete ablation segments in the second layer. Thediscrete ablation segments can also be arranged in at least fourablation segment layers. For instance, the method can include adjustingthe ablation sensitivity characteristics of the discrete ablationsegments such that at least four ablation segment layers are required toachieve the ablation pattern.

Another exemplary aspect of the present disclosure is directed to auniformity correction system for reducing the magnitude of one or moreharmonics of at least one uniformity parameter in a tire according to anablation pattern for a bead of the tire. The system includes a tirefixture on which a tire can be securely mounted, and an ablation deviceconfigured to provide ablation of the bead of a tire mounted on the tirefixture. The system further includes a control system coupled to theablation device. The control system is configured to control theablation device pursuant to a plurality of direct address commands toselectively remove material in discrete ablation segments at specificangular addresses along the bead to achieve the ablation pattern.

For instance, in a particular implementation, the control systemcontrols the ablation device to selectively remove tire materialaccording to a plurality of ablation patterns for the bead using asingle pass of the ablation device around the bead. Each ablationpattern in the plurality of ablation patterns is designed for ablationat a different track location in at least one or more of the bead seat,low flange zone and high flange zone of the bead.

In another particular implementation, the system includes a secondablation device configured to provide ablation of a second bead of atire mounted on the tire fixture. The control system can be configuredto independently control ablation of the second bead with the secondablation device.

These and other features, aspects and advantages of the presentinvention will become better understood with reference to the followingdescription and appended claims. The accompanying drawings, which areincorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrateembodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serveto explain the principles of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A full and enabling disclosure of the present invention, including thebest mode thereof, directed to one of ordinary skill in the art, is setforth in the specification, which makes reference to the appendedfigures, in which:

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a radial tire, which can becorrected according to exemplary aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 depicts multiple track locations along the bead of the tiresuitable for ablation to reduce one or more harmonics of selected tireuniformity parameters according to exemplary aspects of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 3 depicts an exemplary ablation pattern calculated to reduce one ormore harmonics of selected tire uniformity parameters according to anexemplary aspect of the present disclosure. FIG. 3 plots the desiredablation depth (D) along the abscissa and the angular location (θ)around the bead of the tire along the ordinate.

FIG. 4 depicts a block diagram of a system according to an exemplaryembodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary ablation segment in the form of agrayscale bitmap image. The grayscale bit map image is plotted relativeto the vertical position (H) of the bitmap image.

FIG. 6 provides a graphical illustration of ablation depth representedby the grayscale image of FIG. 5. FIG. 6 plots the vertical position (H)of the bitmap image along the abscissa and the ablation depth (d) alongthe ordinate.

FIG. 7 provides a perspective view of multiple ablation segments removedalong a tire bead.

FIG. 8 depicts an exemplary flow diagram of a method of generating aplurality of direct address commands to control the ablation of a tirebead according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 9-12 graphically depicts exemplary aspects of method of generatinga plurality of direct address commands to control the ablation of a tirebead according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.FIGS. 9-12 plot ablation depth (D) along the abscissa and the angularlocation (θ) around the bead of the tire along the ordinate.

FIG. 13 depicts an exemplary ablation segment stack determined accordingto an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 13 plotsablation depth (D) along the abscissa and the angular location (θ)around the bead of the tire along the ordinate.

FIGS. 14-15 graphically depict exemplary ablation segment stacks toachieve exemplary ablation patterns according to exemplary aspects ofthe present disclosure. FIGS. 14-15 plot ablation depth (D) along theabscissa and the angular location (θ) around the bead of the tire alongthe ordinate.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

It is to be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that thepresent discussion is a description of exemplary embodiments only, andis not intended as limiting the broader aspects of the presentinvention. Each example is provided by way of explanation of theinvention, not limitation of the invention. In fact, it will be apparentto those skilled in the art that various modifications and variationscan be made in the present invention without departing from the scope orspirit of the invention. For instance, features illustrated or describedas part of one embodiment can be used with another embodiment to yield astill further embodiment. Thus, it is intended that the presentinvention covers such modifications and variations as come within thescope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

Generally, the present disclosure is directed to a system and method forselectively removing tire material from the bead portions of a curedtire to reduce one or more harmonics of at least one uniformityparameter. According to aspects of the present disclosure, tire materialis selectively removed using a plurality of direct address commands. Thedirect address commands specify ablation parameters for discreteablation segments at specific angular locations around the bead of thetire.

The direct address commands are generated by analyzing the desiredablation pattern for the bead of the tire. In particular, the ablationpattern is broken down into a plurality of discrete ablation segments.The discrete ablation segments each have similar ablation sensitivitycharacteristics. The ablation sensitivity characteristics can includethe ablation force per pass and/or the ablation depth per pass of theablation device. The ablation sensitivity characteristics can becontrolled based on operating parameters of the ablation device. Forinstance, the ablation sensitivity characteristics can be controlled asa function of an operating parameter for the ablation device, such asthe power and/or scan rate of the ablation device.

The ablation segments are assigned to individual addresses at angularlocations around the bead of the tire based at least in part on theablation sensitivity characteristics associated with the discreteablation segments. A direct address command is generated for eachdiscrete ablation segment. The direct address command specifies ablationparameters, such as laser power, laser scan rate, bit map, radiallocation on the bead of the tire, and other parameters for the ablationsegment. The ablation device is then controlled to selectively removetire material in discrete ablation segments at identified addressespursuant to the direct address commands to achieve the desired ablationpattern.

The direct address approach provides many advantages. For instance, theablation device can be controlled to directly go to areas on the bead ofthe tire that requires ablation. As a result, the ablation device cansimply skip over significant sections of the bead that do not requireablation, leading to reduced processing time. In addition, one passaround the bead can allow correction on multiple desired tracks of thebead, such as on one or more of the bead seat portion, lower flangeportion, or upper flange portion. In particular, since there is nocontinuous rotation of the tire, as in prior ablation systems, theablation device can stay at a particular angular address and remove tirematerial from different tracks on the bead at the particular angularaddress.

Moreover, because the discrete ablation segments have similar ablationsensitivity characteristics, the processing time for achieving a desiredablation pattern can be improved. For instance, the direct addresscommands can control the ablation device to selectively remove tirematerial in discrete ablation segments associated with the fulloperating power of the ablation device. This allows for a reduced numberof ablation segments to achieve a desired ablation pattern, leading toeven further reduced cycle time. It is also reduces the need todynamically adjust the operating parameters for the ablation device asthe ablation device is selectively removing tire material from thediscrete ablation segments pursuant to the direct address commands.

With reference now to the figures, exemplary embodiments of the presentdisclosure will now be discussed in detail. FIG. 1 provides a schematicillustration of a radial pneumatic tire 40 for uniformity correction inaccordance with the present invention. The tire 40 is rotatable about alongitudinal central axis of rotation. The tire 40 includes a pair ofbead wires 42 which are substantially inextensible in a circumferentialdirection. The first and second beads 42 are spaced apart in a directionparallel to the central axis. Circumferential is defined as beingsubstantially tangent to a circle having its center at the axis andcontained in a plane parallel to the mid-circumferential plane of thetire.

A carcass ply 44 extends between each of the respective beads 42. Thecarcass ply 44 has a pair of axially opposite end portions which extendaround the respective bead 42. The carcass ply 44 is secured at theaxially opposite end portions to the respective bead 42. The carcass ply44 includes a plurality of substantially radially extending reinforcingmembers each of which are made of a suitable configuration and material,such as several polyester yarns or filaments twisted together. It willbe apparent that the carcass ply 44 is illustrated as a single ply butmay include any appropriate number of carcass plies for the intended useand load of the tire 40. It will also be apparent that the reinforcingmember may be a monofilament or any other suitable configuration ormaterial.

The tire 40 illustrated also includes a belt package 46. The beltpackage 46 includes at least two annular belts. One of the belts islocated radially outwardly of the other belt. Each belt includes aplurality of substantially parallel extending reinforcing members madeof a suitable material, such as a steel alloy. The tire 40 also includesrubber for the tread 62 and sidewalls 64. The rubber may be of anysuitable natural or synthetic rubber, or combination thereof.

FIG. 2 provides a magnified cross-sectional view of a tire bead,generally showing the various portions of such tire portion relative toits seated location on a wheel rim. For example, each tire bead area 50includes a tire bead 42 and its surrounding rubber portions that areconfigured to define a bead profile as shown in FIG. 2. In general, theprofile portion of the tire bead between toe 52 and an exit point 53 isfitted against a portion of a wheel rim for secure mounting thereto.Dotted line 51 represents an exemplary portion of a wheel rim againstwhich tire bead area 50 may be secured for mounting. The bottom surfaceof the bead profile generally defined between toe 52 and heel 54 isreferred to herein as the bead seat 56. The profile portion between heel54 and exit point 53 is referred to generally as the flange, andincludes a lower flange portion 57 between the heel and a flangetransition point 58 and an upper flange portion 59 between the flangetransition point 58 and the exit point 53.

As discussed in more detail in WO 2011/002596, which is commonlyassigned to the assignee of the present disclosure, one or moreharmonics of selected uniformity parameters can be reduced byselectively removing material from one or more of the bead seat 56,lower flange portion 57, and upper flange portion 59 of the bead area 50of the tire. Tire uniformity characteristics that may be correctedgenerally include rolling force variations such as radial forcevariation and lateral force variation and even other parametersincluding but not limited to mass variance.

In accordance with aspects of the present disclosure, material from thetire beads can be removed according to a calculated ablation pattern. Anexemplary ablation pattern 300 is depicted in FIG. 3. As shown, theexemplary ablation pattern 300 defines a desired ablation depth relativeto an angular location around the bead of the tire. The ablation pattern300 can be used to reduce, for instance, a first harmonic associatedwith a uniformity characteristic, such as radial force associated with atire. Material can be selectively removed from one or more of the beadseat 56, lower flange portion 57, and upper flange portion 59 to achievethe desired ablation depths at the angular locations set forth in theablation pattern. Selectively removing material along multiple tracks isintended to achieve a desired level of force or combination of forceswhen appropriate patterns are ablated on the beads.

The exemplary ablation pattern 300 shown in FIG. 3 can be calculatedaccording to any known techniques. For instance, the exemplary ablationpattern can be determined by identifying one or more uniformityparameters and a selected number of harmonics for each parameter forwhich correction is desired. The ablation pattern can be calculated tocorrect for the selected number of harmonics for each identifieduniformity parameter. Exemplary techniques for calculating an ablationpattern are disclosed in WO 2011/002596, which is incorporated herein byreference for all purposes.

Tire material can be selectively removed from the bead of the tireaccording to the calculated ablation pattern using a plurality ofablation techniques. For instance, in one embodiment, tire material canbe selectively removed using laser ablation techniques. Laser ablationtechniques can be preferable because it is able to accomplish removal ofdiscrete ablation segments around the bead of the tire with precisecontrol. To the extent that other rubber removal techniques, such as butnot limited to grinding, sandblasting, water jet removal and the likemay be implemented to achieve the same precision levels as laserablation, the present subject matter may also employ such alternativeremoval techniques.

FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary block diagram of a system for reducingselected harmonics of identified uniformity parameters using laserablation. As shown, a tire 400 is securely mounted to a mounting fixture402, which generally serves as a stationary hub to hold the tire beadstationary relative to a laser ablation device 408. Laser ablationdevice 408 can include a laser 410, which can include a fixed-point orsheet-of-light laser system that outputs a laser beam 411 having asufficient amount of power to perform selective removal of tire rubbermaterial. In one particular example, laser ablation device 410 caninclude a carbon dioxide (CO₂) laser. After output by laser ablationdevice 410, laser beam 411 can be provided to a deflection element 412,which can include a beam splitter 414, deflector 416, imaging lens 418,and/or other optical elements. Imaging lens 418 focuses the illuminationof the laser beam 411 to a focal point 420 on the tire 400 to removerubber in an ablated area 421 along a tire bead.

The system of FIG. 4 is intended to illustrate laser ablation using asingle laser and single focal point (i.e., removal at one tire bead at atime). However, it should be appreciated that multiple lasers be used toperform ablation at multiple focal points (e.g., at both tire beads).For instance, in a particular embodiment, a first laser can be used toindependently provide ablation of a first tire bead and a second lasercan be used to independently provide ablation of a second tire bead. Avacuum 422 or other cleaning tool may be provided to extract any removedrubber or other waste from the ablation area. Additional outlets mayprovide a controlled output of gaseous medium (e.g., a nitrogen gas) tofacilitate laser ablation and suppress potential flames at the ablationpoint.

As shown in FIG. 4, a control system 430 controls one or more componentsof laser ablation device 408 to achieve the desired ablation patternalong one or more tracks along the bead of the tire. Control system 430can generally include such components as at least one memory/mediaelement or database for storing data and software instructions as wellas at least one processor.

In the particular example of FIG. 4, a processor(s) 432 and associatedmemory 434 are configured to perform a variety of computer-implementedfunctions (i.e., software-based data services). The memory 434 can storesoftware and/or firmware in the form of computer-readable and executableinstructions that will be implemented by the processor(s) 432. Memory434 can also store data which is accessible by processor(s) 432 andwhich can be acted on pursuant to the software instructions stored inthe memory 434. Memory 434 can be provided as a single or multipleportions of one or more varieties of computer-readable media, such asbut not limited to any combination of volatile memory (e.g., randomaccess memory (RAM, such as DRAM, SRAM, etc.) and nonvolatile memory(e.g., ROM, flash, hard drives, magnetic tapes, CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, etc.)or any other memory devices including diskettes, drives, othermagnetic-based storage media, optical storage media and others.

According to aspects of the present disclosure, memory 434 can store aplurality of direct address commands used to control the ablation device408 to achieve a desired ablation pattern on the bead of the tire. Thedirect address commands can specify operating parameters for discreteablation segments at specific angular locations or “addresses” on thebead of the tire. More particularly, the desired ablation pattern can bebroken down into a plurality of discrete ablation segments. Theseablation segments represent small portions of the total ablation patternthat will be removed in incremental fashion by the ablation device. Thedirect address commands specify locations and other parameters for theplurality of discrete ablation segments to achieve a desired ablationpattern.

In a particular example, the ablation segments can be associated with abitmap image which correlates the ablation depth along a specified trackto a varied-tone graphic image (e.g., having color or grayscalevariations) representative of such depths. Such varied-tone images canbe interpreted by software control of the ablation device to producedesired ablation depths at specific angular locations on the bead of thetire. FIG. 5 shows an exemplary grayscale bitmap image for a particulardiscrete ablation segment 800 that may be performed by a laser inaccordance with some particular embodiments of the present invention. Insuch ablation segment, the lower dot density representative of lightergrayscale tones correspond to smaller ablation depths and higher dotdensity representative of darker grayscale tones correspond to largerablation depths.

FIG. 6 provides a graphical example of the ablation depths representedby the dotted/grayscale image of FIG. 5. Assume, for example, that thehighest dot density representing a darkest grayscale tone shown in FIG.5 corresponds to an ablation depth of 1 mm, such that the darkestportion of the image occurs around the middle of the vertical range fromtop to bottom of bitmap image. The corresponding graph in FIG. 6 plotsthe vertical position of the bitmap image along the abscissa and theablation depth (e.g., in mm) along the ordinate. As shown, the variationin ablation depth follows a generally smooth transitional curve asopposed to sharp contrasting regions.

Having a curved (almost sinusoidal) path for the ablation depth may beadvantageous by providing smooth edge profiles in the ablation area.Elimination of sharp edges in the ablation patterns makes for asmoother, more undetectable (thus visually appealing) uniformitycorrection. It also reduces possible changes to the bead seating forceand tire pressure levels when the tire beads are subsequently mounted toa rim. Further reduction to any potential parasitic changes to otheruniformity parameters may also be achieved in part by smooth profilesand overall limited ablation depths.

FIG. 7 generally illustrates how multiple ablation segments 800 can betransposed along a bead surface. Although only a single row of ablationsegments is illustrated along a tire bead, it should be appreciated thatmultiple rows and columns of such ablation patterns may exist to achievethe desired ablation pattern. Such groupings of ablation patterns mayalso be correlated to more than one track/area along a tire bead. Forexample, one set of ablation segments may be translated from an ablationpattern along a tire bead seat zone, while another set of ablationsegments may be translated from an ablation pattern along a tire beadflange zone.

As one example, FIG. 13 depicts an exemplary ablation segment stack 900used to achieve a desired ablation pattern 300 according to an exemplaryembodiment of the present disclosure. The ablation segment stackincludes a plurality of discrete ablation segments 800 arranged intolayers 810, 820, 830, 840, 850, 860, 870, and 880 to achieve the desiredablation pattern 300. Each of the discrete ablation segments 800 isassigned a specific address on the bead of the tire at an angularlocation centered relative to the ablation segment. A direct addresscommand is generated for each of the discrete ablation segments 800 inthe ablation segment stack 900. The ablation pattern 300 is achieved bycontrolling an ablation device to selectively remove tire material fromthe discrete ablation segments 800 pursuant to the direct addresscommands.

As illustrated in FIG. 12, each of the discrete ablation segments 800includes a similar ablation segment width W and a similar ablationsegment length L. The ablation segment width W is defined by the angularwidth of the ablation segment relative to the bead of the tire. Theablation segment length L is determined as a function of the ablationsensitivity characteristics associated with the discrete ablationsegments. The ablation sensitivity characteristics can include theablation force per pass and/or the ablation depth per pass of theablation device. The ablation sensitivity characteristics can becontrolled using operating parameters of the ablation device. Forinstance, the discrete ablation segments can provide a greater ablationdepth per pass for an ablation device operating at about 100% powerrelative to the ablation depth per pass for an ablation device operatingat less than about 100% power, such as at about 50% power.

According to aspects of the present disclosure, the plurality ofdiscrete ablation segments used to achieve a desired ablation patterncan have similar ablation sensitivity characteristics such that each ofthe discrete ablation segments have similar ablation segment lengths(i.e. provide similar ablation depths). In this manner, the plurality ofablation segments can be stacked in discrete layers, as shown in FIG.12, to achieve a desired ablation pattern. In one example, the pluralityof ablation segments can have ablation sensitivity characteristicsassociated with the full operating power of the ablation device so thata fewer number of ablation segments are required to achieve the desiredablation pattern.

A direct address command is generated for each discrete ablation segmentused to achieve the desired ablation pattern. The direct address commandcan specify a laser power, scan rate, bit map, radial location, or othersuitable parameter for the ablation segment. An exemplary list of directaddress commands is provided below:

Angular Command Location Scan Bit No. (Address) Power Rate Map 1 15.8100 4000 BMP1 2 15.8 100 4000 BMP2 3 26.3 100 4000 BMP1 4 27.5  95 4000BMP1 5 27.5 100 3000 BMP2 6 28.6  80 4000 BMP1 7 28.6 100 4000 BMP2 836.9 100 4000 BMP1While only eight direct address commands are listed above, those ofordinary skill in the art, using the disclosures provided herein shouldunderstand that the number of direct address commands will varydepending on the desired ablation pattern for the bead of the tire.

Each of the exemplary direct address command above specifies ablationparameters for a discrete ablation segment on the tire bead. Forexample, Direct Address Command No. 1 directs the ablation device to goto 15.8° from the zero reference and burn a bitmap BMP1 at a 100% powerusing a scan rate of 4000. Direct Address Command No. 2 directs theablation device to stay at 15.8° from the zero reference and burn abitmap BMP2 at a 100% power using a scan rate of 4000. The choice ofbitmap specified in each direct address command can allow for theselection of a specific ablation track on the bead of the tire. Forexample, the bitmap BMP1 can specify that the ablation device is to burnan ablation segment on the bead seat of the bead. The bitmap BMP2 canspecify that the ablation device is to burn an ablation segment on thelower flange portion or upper flange portion of the bead. Alternatively,the radial position for ablation could be specified by anotherindependent parameter rather than being built into the bitmap file. Inthis manner, the direct address commands can provide for the ablation ofmultiple tracks along the bead of the tire using a single pass of theablation device.

Referring back to the example above, Direct Address Command No. 3directs the ablation device to go to 26.3° from the zero reference andburn a bitmap BMP1 at a 100% power using a scan rate of 4000. DirectAddress Command No. 4 directs the ablation device to go to 27.5° fromthe zero reference and burn a bitmap BMP1 at a 95% power using a scanrate of 4000. Direct Address Command No. 5 directs the ablation deviceto 27.5° from the zero reference and burn a bitmap BMP2 at a 100% powerusing a scan rate of 3000. Direct Address Commands Nos. 6-8 providesimilar control directives to the ablation device. As demonstrated,ablation device can be controlled to directly go to areas on the bead ofthe tire and to skip over significant sections of the bead that do notrequire ablation, leading to reduced processing time.

FIG. 8 depicts an exemplary method 500 for generating a plurality ofdirect address commands to achieve a desired ablation pattern accordingto an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure. At (502) the methodincludes receiving one or more ablation patterns for the bead of thetire. Receiving an ablation pattern can include receiving and/orobtaining a calculated ablation pattern from any suitable source. Forinstance, receiving an ablation pattern can include receiving apre-calculated or predetermined ablation pattern from a computing deviceor a component of a computing device. Receiving an ablation pattern canalso include calculating an ablation pattern according to any suitabletechnique. An exemplary technique for calculating an ablation pattern isdisclosed in WO 2011/002596, which is incorporated herein by referencefor all purposes.

The ablation pattern can be calculated or determined to reduce selectedharmonics of one or more uniformity parameters for the tire. In aparticular implementation, a plurality of ablation patterns associatedwith one or more tracks along the bead portion of the tire can bereceived for use in reducing selected harmonics of one or moreuniformity parameters.

At (504), the method determines ablation characteristics for thediscrete ablation segments that are going to be used to achieve the oneor more ablation patterns. The ablation characteristics can include, forinstance, the ablation segment width of each of the ablation segment andthe ablation segment length for each of the ablation segments. In oneexample, the ablation segment width can be provided as the number ofdata points per ablation segment or number of degrees per ablationsegment.

The ablation segment length of the discrete ablation segments provides ameasure the ablation sensitivity characteristics of the ablationsegments, such as the ablation segment depth provided by the ablationsegment. The ablation segment length of the discrete ablation segmentscan be determined as a function of an operating parameter of theablation device, such as the power or scan rate of the ablation device.

Other suitable ablation parameters can also be determined at (504),including data spacing per point (e.g. bead circumference/number of datapoints in the ablation pattern); degrees per point (e.g. 360/number ofdata points in the ablation pattern); and a point shift parameter. Thepoint shift parameter can be used to shift addresses of ablation segmentlayers in the ablation segment stack to provide smooth edges on the beadof the tire.

At (506), the method identifies a plurality of addresses around the beadof the tire. The plurality of addresses can be determined based at leastin part on the ablation segment width associated with the discreteablation segments. In a particular embodiment, the method can estimatethe number of times that a discrete ablation segment would fit aroundthe bead. This number will represent the number of addresses that willbe used for the purpose of generating direct address commands.

At (508), the method assigns discrete ablation segments to one or moreof the plurality of addresses). More particularly, the method makes adetermination whether to assign a particular discrete ablation segmentto an address based at least in part on ablation sensitivitycharacteristics, such as ablation segment depth, associated with thediscrete ablation segment. In one example, the method can assign adiscrete ablation segment to an address if the desired ablation depthdefined by the ablation pattern exceeds a certain percentage, such asabout 50%, of the ablation segment depth associated with the discreteablation segment.

FIG. 9 illustrates this concept. As shown in FIG. 9, a plurality ofdiscrete ablation segments 800 have been assigned to a plurality ofaddresses in a first ablation segment layer 810. The discrete ablationsegments 800 are assigned to addresses where the desired ablation depthdefined by exemplary ablation pattern 300 exceeds more than 50% of theablation segment depth (graphically represented by the ablation segmentlength L). The identical lengths of the ablation segments 800 in thefirst layer 810 demonstrate that each of the plurality of ablationsegments 800 in the first layer 810 have similar ablation sensitivitycharacteristics.

As further illustrated in FIG. 9, the ablation segments 800 arranged inthe first ablation segment layer 810 are not sufficient to achieve theablation pattern 300. Accordingly, additionally, ablation segment layerswill have to be stacked or arranged on top of ablation segment layer 810to achieve the desired ablation depth at each address. A loop algorithm,discussed in more detail below, can be used to assign additionaldiscrete ablation segments to additional ablation segment layers untilan ablation segment stack sufficient to achieve a desired ablationpattern is reached.

The loop algorithm begins at (510), where the method determines whetheradditional ablation segment layers are necessary to achieve the desiredablation pattern. The method can determine that additional ablationsegment layers are necessary if the desired ablation segment depth at aparticular address exceeds the sum of all ablation segment depthsassociated with discrete ablation segments at the particular address.

If additional ablation segments are necessary, the method determines anadjusted ablation depth for the ablation pattern (512). The adjustedablation depth can be determined by subtracting the ablation segmentdepth of the ablation segments in the previous layer from the desiredablation depth defined by the ablation pattern 300. An exemplaryadjusted ablation pattern 310 is illustrated in FIG. 10.

At (514), the method shifts the addresses for the additional ablationsegment layer relative to the previous ablation segment layer. Thisamount of the shift can be determined by a point shift parameterdetermined or specified at (504). The point shift parameter providesthat addresses associated with the additional ablation segment layer areshifted a specified number of degrees relative to the addresses of theprevious ablation segment layer. This ensures that edges of stackedablation segment layers are not aligned, reducing the appearance ofsharp edges in an ablation pattern provided on the tire. FIG. 13provides an exemplary illustration of an ablation segment stack 900including ablation segment layers 820, 930, 840, 850, 860, 870, and 880having addresses that are shifted relative to the immediately precedingablation segment layers.

Once the shifted addresses have been determined, the method returns to(508) where a plurality of discrete ablation segments are assigned tospecific addresses in the additional ablation segment layer based atleast in part on ablation sensitivity characteristics, such as ablationdepth. Similar to the first ablation segment layer, the method canassign a discrete ablation segment to an address if the adjustedablation depth defined by the adjusted ablation pattern exceeds acertain percentage, such as about 50%, of the ablation segment depthassociated with the discrete ablation segment.

FIG. 10 illustrates a plurality of ablation segments 800 assigned to aplurality of addresses in a second ablation segment layer 820. As shown,the discrete ablation segments 800 are assigned to addresses where theadjusted ablation depth defined by exemplary adjusted ablation pattern310 exceeds more than 50% of the ablation segment depth. The method thenagain determines whether additional ablation segment layers arenecessary (510).

As graphically depicted in FIGS. 11 and 12, this process is repeateduntil the required number of ablation segment layers is reached toachieve the desired ablation pattern 300. For instance, FIG. 11 depictsa plurality of ablation segments 800 assigned to addresses in a thirdablation segment layer 830 at addresses where the adjusted ablationdepth defined by exemplary adjusted ablation pattern 320 exceeds morethan 50% of the ablation segment depth. FIG. 12 depicts a plurality ofablation segments 800 assigned to addresses in an eighth ablationsegment layer 880 at addresses where the adjusted ablation depth definedby exemplary adjusted ablation pattern 330 exceeds more than 50% of theablation segment depth.

FIG. 13 depicts an exemplary ablation stack 900 determined according tomethod discussed above. As shown, exemplary ablation stack 900 includeseight ablation segment layers 810, 820, 830, 840, 850, 860, 870, and880. The ablation segment layers each include a plurality of discreteablation segments 800 assigned to a specific address. The addresses ofablation segments in any given ablation segment layer are shiftedrelative to the addresses of the ablation segments in the immediatelypreceding layer to provide a smooth ablation pattern on the bead of thetire. As shown in FIG. 13, the desired ablation pattern 300 can achievedby incrementally removing tire materials from the discrete ablationsegments depicted in the ablation segment stack 900.

Referring back to FIG. 8 at (516), the method generates a direct addresscommand for each ablation segment assigned to an address. As discussedabove, the direct address command specifies operating parameters foreach ablation segment at a particular address on the bead of the tire.In accordance with aspects of the present disclosure, direct addresscommands for multiple ablation patterns along one or more tracks alongthe bead, such as along one or more of the bead seat, lower flangeportion or upper flange portion of the bead can be determined. Once aglobal list of direct address commands has been generated for eachablation pattern, the global direct address command list is sorted byaddress and provided to a control system to control ablation of thetire.

The discrete ablation segments illustrated in the exemplary ablationsegment 900 of FIG. 13 have ablation sensitivity characteristics thatprovide a maximum force and/or depth per pass of the ablation device. Inthis manner, a reduced number of discrete ablation segments are requiredto achieve the desired ablation pattern. In certain cases, however, itcan be desirable to use ablation segments having ablation sensitivitycharacteristics providing a reduced force and/or depth per pass.

For instance, FIG. 14 depicts an exemplary ablation segment stack 910determined to achieve an exemplary ablation pattern 350. The exemplaryablation pattern 350 is relatively shallow in that it requires only twoablation segment layers in the ablation segment stack 910 to achieve thedesired ablation pattern. As shown in FIG. 14, however, the correlationbetween the desired ablation pattern 350 and the ablation patternprovided by the ablation segment stack 910 is relatively poor.

To remedy this deficiency, the ablation sensitivity characteristics ofthe ablation segments can be adjusted such that the ablation segmentdepths associated with the ablation segments are reduced. For instance,the power or scan rate of the ablation device can be adjusted such thatthe ablation segments provide reduced force and/or depth per pass. Inthis manner, more ablation segment layers are required to achieve thedesired ablation pattern. In a particular implementation, the ablationsensitivity characteristics of the ablation device can be adjusted suchthat at least four ablation segment layers are required to achieve thedesired ablation pattern.

FIG. 15 depicts an exemplary ablation stack 920 including a plurality ofablation segments having reduced ablation segment length as a result ofadjusted ablation sensitivity characteristics. As shown, four ablationsegment layers are required to achieve the ablation pattern 350. Thecorrelation between the desired ablation pattern 350 and the ablationpattern provided by the ablation segment stack 920 is improved as aresult of the increased number of ablation segment layers in theablation segment stack 920.

While the present subject matter has been described in detail withrespect to specific embodiments thereof, it will be appreciated thatthose skilled in the art, upon attaining an understanding of theforegoing may readily produce alterations to, variations of, andequivalents to such embodiments. Accordingly, the scope of the presentdisclosure is by way of example rather than by way of limitation, andthe subject disclosure does not preclude inclusion of suchmodifications, variations and/or additions to the present subject matteras would be readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for reducing one or more harmonics of atleast one uniformity parameter in a tire, comprising: receiving aplurality of ablation patterns for a bead of a tire, each ablationpattern associated with a different track location on the bead of thetire in a bead seat, low flange zone and high flange zone, each ablationpattern defining a desired ablation depth relative to an angularlocation around the bead and calculated to correct for one or moreharmonics of at least one uniformity parameter for the tire; identifyinga plurality of addresses for the bead, each address being associatedwith a specific angular location on the bead of the tire; analyzing eachablation pattern to determine a plurality of direct address commands toachieve the plurality of ablation patterns, the plurality of directaddress commands specifying ablation parameters for a plurality ofdiscrete ablation segments at one or more of the plurality of addressesalong the bead of the tire, the discrete ablation segments arranged in aplurality of discrete layers; controlling the ablation device toselectively remove tire material from the bead in discrete ablationsegments pursuant to the direct address commands to achieve theplurality of ablation patterns; wherein the tire material is selectivelyremoved to achieve the plurality of ablation patterns using a singlepass of the ablation device around the bead.
 2. The method of claim 1,wherein each discrete ablation segment is associated with an ablationsegment depth.
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein the ablation segmentdepth of the plurality of discrete ablation segments is associated withabout full operating power of the ablation device.
 4. The method ofclaim 1, wherein analyzing the plurality of ablation patterns todetermine a plurality of direct address commands comprises: assigning adiscrete ablation segment to an address based at least in part onablation sensitivity characteristics associated with the ablationsegment; and generating a direct address command for each discreteablation segment assigned to an address.
 5. The method of claim 1,wherein analyzing the plurality of ablation patterns to determine aplurality of direct address commands comprises: assigning one or morediscrete ablation segments to at least one of the plurality of addressesin a first ablation segment layer based at least in part on an ablationsegment depth associated with the discrete ablation segments;subtracting the ablation segment depth of the discrete ablation segmentsin the first layer from the desired ablation depth at each address toachieve an adjusted ablation depth for each address; and assigningdiscrete ablation segments to at least one of the plurality of addressesin a second ablation segment layer based at least in part on theadjusted ablation depth.
 6. The method of claim 5, wherein the angularlocations associated with the addresses of the discrete ablationsegments in the first layer are shifted relative to the angularlocations associated with the addresses of the discrete ablationsegments in the second layer.
 7. The method of claim 5, wherein thediscrete ablation segments are arranged in at least four ablationsegment layers to achieve the ablation pattern.
 8. The method of claim5, wherein the method comprises adjusting the ablation sensitivitycharacteristics of the discrete ablation segments such that at leastfour ablation segment layers are required to achieve the ablationpattern.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein each direct address commandspecifies a laser power, laser scan rate, bitmap or a radial location onthe bead for an ablation segment.